Star-Shaped Rotary Hoe for Soil Working
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing soil working tools, such as rotary hoes, lack an efficient design that optimizes furrow formation and reduces stress on the tools, leading to suboptimal performance in soil penetration and earth movement.
Innovation Solution
A star-shaped rotary hoe design with a central hub and radially extending prongs featuring interlocking male lugs and female slots, allowing for independent mounting and rotation at a composite angle relative to the travel direction and vertical plane, which reduces stress and enhances soil penetration and movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional rotary hoes are used with parallel-mounted tools, then the structure is simple, but the furrow accessibility and stress reduction are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The rotary hoe is divided into multiple independent prongs (at least three) that are radially spaced around a central hub. Each prong can be independently mounted and rotated, allowing the cutting tools to be positioned at optimal angles for furrow accessibility while distributing mechanical stress across multiple segments rather than a single rigid structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The prongs are arranged radially around the hub at asymmetric angles rather than in a simple linear or evenly spaced configuration. This asymmetric radial arrangement allows each prong to approach the soil at different angles, improving furrow accessibility and enabling stress reduction through varied orientation relative to the direction of travel.
2Strength
If cutting tools are mounted rigidly, then the structure is stable, but stress on the tool increases during soil penetration
Solution Approach 1:
The prongs are mounted to the central hub in a manner that allows limited rotation about the hub axis. This dynamic capability enables the cutting tools to adjust their orientation slightly during soil penetration, reducing stress by allowing the tools to follow the natural deformation of the soil rather than forcing a rigid path, while the hub structure maintains overall structural stability.
3Productivity
If the rotary hoe operates parallel to the travel direction, then the mechanism is simple, but soil penetration and earth movement efficiency are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The prongs are arranged radially around the hub at asymmetric angles rather than parallel to the direction of travel. This asymmetric angular arrangement allows at least one prong to approach the soil at an optimized angle that improves penetration efficiency and earth movement capability, while the radial symmetry of the hub assembly keeps the overall mechanism relatively simple.
Data Source
AI summary
A soil working apparatus comprises a farm implement including: a first structure moveable above a soil surface along a travel direction; and a plurality of housings, each supporting at least one rotary hoe for forming a furrow in the soil along the travel direction. The housing has a mounting structure for pivotally mounting to the first structure, a radially extending support member having a rotary hoe at the distal end thereof. The rotary hoe mounting structure has a pivot member extending in a plane at right angles to the shaft and the rotary hoe is pivotally mounted to the pivot member for limited composite angular movement relative to a vertical plane and the direction of travel. The rotary hoe may have a star shape including: a central hub, a plurality of spaced apart, radially extending prongs extending from the hub in a common plane, and the prongs each being independently mounted to the hub but interlocked with each other when mounted on the hub.